Photographic copying apparatus

ABSTRACT

Photographic copying apparatus having a heater employed in conjunction with a lamp for drying the recording element or copying paper and wherein the heater is in circuit with the lamp to permit the preliminary heating of the lamp prior to full lighting thereof so as to reduce the inrush of current to the lamp when full voltage is applied thereto.

United States Patent [72] Inventor Takeshi Ukai Tokyo, Japan [2|] Appl. No. 885.726

[22] Filed Dec. 17, I969 [45) Patented July 13, i971 [73] Assignee Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Tokyo, Japan [32] Priority Jane 23, 1966 [33] Japan Continuation-ln-part of application Ser. No. 644,140, June 7, 1967, now abandoned.

[54] PHOTOGRAPHEC COPYING APPARATUS 4 Claims, 1 Drawing Fig.

[52] US. Cl 355/3,

51 m. Cl 003; 15 00 [50] Fleldolsearchmum r 355/3,30, 64; 240/l L4 (56] References Cited UNlTED STATES PATENTS 2,610,289 9/l952 Brainerd 240/! L4 3,026,410 3/1962 Azan .0 355/30 X 3,432.232 3/1969 Tompkins......r.....r........ 355/8 Primary Examiner- Samuel S. Matthews Assistant Exam iner-Monroe H. Hayes Attorney-Burgess, Ryan & Wayne ABSTRACT: Photographic copying apparatus having a heater employed in conjunction with a lamp for drying the recording element or copying paper and wherein the heater is in circuit with the lamp to permit the preliminary heating of the lamp prior to full lighting thereof so as to reduce the inrush of current to the lamp when full voltage is applied thereto.

PATENTED JUL 1 3 l9?! INvENmR PRUI'OGIAPHIC CO?YING APPARATUS This application is a continuation-in-part of application. Ser. No. 644,140, filed June 7, 1967, for Auxiliary lighting Apparatus For Iodine Lamp. now abandoned.

This invention relates to photographic copying apparatus and more particularly to such apparatus which utilizes a halogen lamp in circuit with a heater. The heater is employed in the drying of the recording element or copying paper and first and second switch means are provided in circuit with the lamp and the heater whereby a preliminary, low! voltage heatin of the lamp occurs so as to reduce the inrush ofcurrent thereto when full voltage happ-l ied to the lamp.

An object of the present 'nvention is the provision of a photographic copying appoints with 'nehdes a halogen lamp and heater in. circuit whereby the ins-tam taneous lull lighting of the lamp "3 achieved when: fisll voltage is appied thereto and whereby-the lamp is protected from the inrush of current produced. bythe thereof, which rush of current would otherwise occur if the lamp were not preliminarily heated by a low voltage and current.

Another object of the invention is to provide e photographic copying apparatus which g heatsthe halogen lamp to result in a great increase in the lille of the limp-as compared to the life of the lamp without the provision of the preliminary heatingthereof.

The flashing which. would occur in the halogen or iodine lamp, for example, if an initialsurge of'current were permitted toflow through the filament. would cause a serious. reduction in the life of the lamp and without the feature of this invention whereby the lamp is preliminarily heated the full lighting' of the lamp would occur over a. much longer time and the initial inrush tcurremt to the lamp would be. greatlyincreased without the preliminary heating feature.

Accordingly, a purpose. ofthis: invention is to increase. the life oi the lamp and to enable the. substantially instantaneous full lighting thereof when desired by means. of providing a preliminary lowvoltage to the lamp. This. is accompiished by the application of a voltage to the lamp which isappmxirnutely l0 percent of the rated voltage otTthe halogen lamp prior'to the full lighting thereof. The present invention accomplishes this by the use of the heater whicl'tis normally used solely to. dry the paper or recording element in the photographic copy ing apparatus.

Other objects and features ofithr's invention will become ap parent to thoseof ordinary skill in. theart as the disclosureis made in the following description of a. preferred embodiment oi the inventionas illustrated in flie-accompanyingdrawings in which:

The FIGURE is a diagrammatic view of a preferred embodi ment ofthe invention.

with reference now to the FlGUKE..there is shown means for. moving a recording element: or. copy paper along. a predetermined pathfrom a first to a. second: position. This includes, for example, a first roller [it on which a conveyor or other type of device 13 islocated: for moving the recording element or paper 12 along a predetermined path. after the paper has been provided by the paper. supply source tl,.which is conventional. The paper follows. the predetermined path to a second. roller 14- which can. be: driven in" a. conventional manner by. the motor l6.. The paper 112-: in moving along the predetermined: path passes through developingmeans' which includes, for examplma developer tray 1'8 and an. applicator roller Zlhwhich rotates about the. axis 22; Developer liquid 24x, for example, known in. the-art islocatedinthetraylll;

A- device can be locatedfadiacsnt' to the path of travel'of' the copy paper 2 andmayincludea coronwdischarge; device well knownv in the art whiclrcausss. a substantially uniform' electrostaticchangeto he:depositedlon atleasva portion of the copy paper. ['2 aslthe paper passes byrthe device 25-. It halogen lamp IE is also located inoperative relationship with: respect to. the path of the paper 12' fior. exposing the" charged portion lAtFI W-T thereof to light in order to forms latent image on the paper tl'lhelseater30.whichlsusedtodrythepaper t2,iseonnected to the lamp 2! in series and s first switch means 32, which is closed for the auxiliary or preliminary lighting of the lamp, is also in series therewith. A full lighting switch or second switch means 34 is shunted across the heater and power source 38 is coupled between the lamp 3! and the first switch 32. In addition, a blower I0 is connected to the power supply 3! through the main switch 32. and a counter 41 having a switch 44 in circuit therewith is connected to the power supply 38. Also. the motor has a switch 46 in circuit therewith and operative in I known manner with respect to counter 43 whereby the motor stops autometicalty when switch 4 is opened when the njtnrher of copies set into the counter has been reproduced. The copying machine also has anoptiealnsnsdior lenslysterh whichmovesoverthepnper onwhichthe imageistobeeopiedinorder tofivetheimage ofmoriginolwithslitexpowreointheconveyor l3 inthed'srk compartment shaded with roll blind 50.

hr the operation of the apparams of this invention the recording element or copy paper 12 moves along a predetermined path between rollers W and M when the roller I is driven by the action of motor 56 when switch 32' irclosed. The paper [I first moves by the corona discharge device 26 which charges the paper in a known manner with a subsumtialiy unibrnr electrostatic charge. The paper then moves to the exposure section where it is exposed to light from the halogen lamp 28 therefor forming latent images on the copy paper 11' in accordance with the original material 52 being copied. The is then moved through the developing sectionrand into the tray 18 which contains the developer liquid 24. The paper moves between the tray II and the applicator roller It! so that the developer li uld is evenly spread over the paper 12'. The paper then emerges from the developing section and passes adjacent to the heater 30 where the paper is dried and the paper is then moved to a position adjacent the" roller 1W.

When the paper ll is initially placed on the conveyor 13 from the paper supply 1'1 the switch 32 is closed so that the rated: voltage the lamp 291mm applied to the series circuit oi the lamp 28' and the heater 30. V; represents the rated voltage'ot'the halogen lamp, v; represents the voltage actually applieditathe lamp initially and v representsthe voltage applied to the heater. Thus. V,,-v, +v,,.; When the resistance of the heater Sills selected so as tosatisfy'th'e equation v 10 percem to 20 pement) V the lamp" 28 is placed intheauxiliary lightingconditiomor in other wordmo preliminary low voltage heatingzofthelamp-occurs. As the paper 12 moves adfiacent to the ltnrlpas no that the light therefi'om impinges upon the paper 1 2 thesecond switch or print switch 34 is afsoclosed so' that the heater'ilfl is shunted or short circuited and the lamp' Zfiisprovidcd with the rated voltage V to fully light the lamp. The paper thervmoves through the develoni'n; ectiolrof the device and=betsveen the roller 20 and the tray 18'' where the developingliquid It is applied' tothe paper. From here the paper moves on to the drying section and the switch 34 is again. opened so=tliat the heater Zjll is heated by the application at voltage percent to SO p'eIrcent') V to dry the photographic paper together witlia my 401 Thus; when the paper reaches the exposure section the switchd l is=closed andtlie'lamp 281s fully lighted; After the paper moves on from the exposure section the switch 3- can be opened when the paper 12 moves into the drying section adjacent the heater 30 so that current passes through the heater aswell as'througli the lump.- 1n tlieeventtllat more than one copy is' to bra-reproduced and wherea plurality ofl'papers i=2 are fed continuously along the conveyor [3 exposure of each new sheeris-startedwhileflan alieadydevelbpedslieet is still in tfiedr-ying section. In this situation the lamp lights fully and-remains fully lighted by the closure of switttltS-lf in order to provide hill-exposureto the pages in theexposune section. As a result. the heater lifl iscontinuously shuntetl and ceases to-operate so that dryingfoftiie paper at'the dryingsection must be accomplished by hot air which is generated by fan 40 that obtains the hot air from the lamp 28. It should be noted that the copy paper [2 is never located in the drying section when the machine is initially started. This avoids any possibility of the paper being burned with the absence of the wet developer liquid thereon.

in the past it has been necessary to provide a transformer to obtain the low voltage to be applied to the lamp 28 in order to obtain the auxiliary lighting or the low voltage heating of the lamp and mechanisms for transition of the lamp from the low voltage heating state to the full voltage and fully lighted state have been very complicated. However, the present invention provides for this auxiliary lighting or low voltage heating of the lamp and for the transition to the full lighting of the lamp by very simple means through application of the heater normally provided with the photographic copying apparatus.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

What i claim is:

l. A photographic copying apparatus comprising:

means for moving a recording element along a predetermined path from a first to a second position;

means oriented with respect to said path for charging the recording element and for causing a substantially uniform electrostatic charge to be deposited on at least a portion of the recording element;

a halogen lamp in operative relationship with said path for exposing the charged portion of the recording element to light to form a latent image on the recording element; developing means located with respect to said path for developing the latent image on said recording element; heater means in position adjacent to said path for drying the developed recording element; a power source; first switch means in series circuit relationship with said lamp and said heater means and said power source for subjecting said lamp to a preliminary low voltage when said first switch means is closed; and

second switch means in shunted circuit relationship with said heater means and in series circuit relationship with said power source and said first switch means and said lamp for subjecting said lamp to a second voltage when said first switch means is closed and said second switch means is closed, whereby the lamp is substantially instantaneously fully lighted upon the closure of said second switch means and whereby the inrush of current to said lamp is controlled to provide longer lamp life.

2. Apparatus as in claim I wherein the lamp is an iodine lamp.

3. Apparatus as in claim 2 wherein said preliminary low voltage is below the rated voltage of said lamp and wherein said second voltage is substantially equal to the rated voltage of said lamp.

4. Apparatus as in claim 3 wherein said preliminary low voltage is substantially 10 percent of the rated voltage of said lamp. 

1. A photographic copying apparatus comprising: means for moving a recording element along a predetermined path from a first to a second position; means oriented with respect to said path for charging the recording element and for causing a substantially uniform electrostatic charge to be deposited on at least a portion of the recording element; a halogen lamp in operative relationship with said path for exposing the charged portion of the recording element to light to form a latent image on the recording element; developing means located with respect to said path for developing the latent image on said recording element; heater means in position adjacent to said path for drying the developed recording element; a power source; first switch means in series circuit relationship with said lamp and said heater means and said power source for subjecting said lamp to a preliminary low voltage when said first switch means is closed; and second switch means in shunted circuit relationship with said heater means and in series circuit relationship with said power source and said first switch means and said lamp for subjecting said lamp to a second voltage when said first switch means is closed and said second switch means is closed, whereby the lamp Is substantially instantaneously fully lighted upon the closure of said second switch means and whereby the inrush of current to said lamp is controlled to provide longer lamp life.
 2. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the lamp is an iodine lamp.
 3. Apparatus as in claim 2 wherein said preliminary low voltage is below the rated voltage of said lamp and wherein said second voltage is substantially equal to the rated voltage of said lamp.
 4. Apparatus as in claim 3 wherein said preliminary low voltage is substantially 10 percent of the rated voltage of said lamp. 